A recent Attorney General opinion could cost a local school district almost $80,000 after the Texas Education Agency asked for an interpretation of a two-year-old teacher salary increase.

“When the legislators passed this increase two years ago, we thought the state would pay the teacher pension portion,” said Texarkana Independent School District Superintendent James Henry Russell.

The conflict over who should pay the contribution to the teachers’ pension plan ended up in Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office. His opinion put the cost in the pockets of Texas sch...